Choose a college that will support you

Published 5:30 pm, Wednesday, May 1, 2013

In just a matter of days, happy graduation ceremonies from our local high schools will take place. Students and parents should be very proud. Many believe, as I do, that high school graduation is a bigger accomplishment than graduating from college, important as that second ceremony is. But here is a sobering thought for high school seniors getting ready to put on their gowns and mortarboards. If your aim is to attend college, make a promise to yourself to use every strategy you can to survive your freshman year when the risk of dropping out is the greatest. There are colleges out there willing to take your tuition money that news outlets report have a 0 percent graduation rate and others that graduate fewer than 10 percent of enrolled freshmen.

If you have been accepted, research the graduation rate of the school you will attend. If its rate is low, take a warning.

A 2011 Harvard study reported that only about half of all those entering college will graduate within six years of entering. Even those on athletic scholarships who become star players often do not graduate, and not because they were drafted into the pros. The easier it is to get into a college, the likelihood that you will not graduate increases. This is sadly also the case for community colleges that many high school seniors who did poorly in grades 9 through 12 believe will take you and miraculously turn you into an academic whiz.

The reasons students drop out are many, including the cost of higher education. But it is also true that some colleges support their accepted students more actively than others. Sadly, colleges that accept almost everyone who applies generally are not able to support an accepted student who is struggling to do college-level work. College is hard. The other students provide tougher competition than you found in high school. Professors will not go easy on you.

Public high school was free, now each grade is costing money. So dropping out is expensive and a noose around your neck, especially if you had to take a student loan to attend in your first year.

As you celebrate high school graduation, promise yourself that in your first year of college you will seek out advice before any issue grows into a problem. Solutions are within reach if you ask those who care about you in time. My wish for each graduating senior is a second similar happy ceremony.